Mumbai court rejects Tanushree Dutta's plea challenging relief to Nana Patekar

Tanushree Dutta and Nana Patekar case

Bollywood actress Tanushree Dutta faced a setback as a Mumbai court dismissed her plea challenging the relief granted to veteran actor Nana Patekar in the #MeToo case she filed against him.

According to an India Today report, the court's decision was made on Friday when a magistrate court rejected Dutta’s protest petition, which had objected to the closure report submitted by the Mumbai police.

The report, which was filed earlier, had concluded that the FIR registered by Dutta against Patekar and others was malicious and false, stating that the allegations lacked sufficient evidence.

Magistrate NV Bansal, who delivered the verdict, cited the limitation on taking cognisance of the alleged 2008 incident after so many years.

Dutta’s case had centred on accusations she made against Nana Patekar, claiming that during the shoot of the special song for the 2008 film Horn Ok Pleassss, Patekar had made her uncomfortable by getting too close for comfort.

In October 2018, she took the legal route and registered an FIR at Oshiwara Police Station, alleging harassment by Patekar and others, with one incident dating back to 2008 and a further alleged incident in 2018.

The investigating officer had recorded several statements, including one from Patekar, who was represented by his lawyer Advocate Aniket Nikam.

Despite this, the police officer did not find any incriminating evidence against the accused, leading the authorities to conclude that the FIR was malicious and false. Furthermore, when it came to the 2018 incident, which involved a derogatory remark allegedly made on a news channel, the court ruled that there was no evidence suggesting any intent on the part of the accused.

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In light of these findings, the court dismissed the proceedings against the accused under Section 203 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), which pertains to the dismissal of cases where no valid grounds for prosecution are found.

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This ruling marks a significant moment in the ongoing #MeToo movement in India, which had seen Dutta’s allegations against Patekar serve as one of the pivotal cases that sparked the conversation around sexual harassment in the Indian film industry. The dismissal of her plea, however, has left Dutta’s supporters disappointed and questioning the handling of the case.